Why the Marines Love Their Custom Built F-35B Stealth Fighter

Meet the F-35B: Unmatched by its peers, the American-made F-35 Lightning II is undoubtedly the leading fifth-generation fighter jet in the skies today. The U.S. Marine Corps, Army and Air Force all sport specialized variants of the platform that satisfy each branch’s operational needs. 

Origins of The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Department of Defense prioritized the design and development of a cutting-edge, fifth-generation airframe that could combine air-to-air strike and ground-attack capabilities.

More importantly, DoD wanted a single platform to achieve these abilities, for budgetary reasons, as well as streamlining and ease of maintenance.

The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps needed to replace their fleets of F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18 Hornets, A-10 Warthogs and AV-8B Harriet platforms. U.S. defense industry giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin competed for this contract, and ultimately Lockheed’s stunning X-35 design plan was chosen. 

Today, Lockheed remains the prime manufacturer of the aircraft. According to Bae Systems, the objective of the Joint Strike Fighter program was to ensure the U.S. maintained air supremacy for decades to come.

Additionally, sharing costs among the three military branches would help “channel efforts into one highly advanced design.” The article also notes that, “The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter is currently being implemented or planned for use by the U.S. and its allies Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.”

The F-35 Lightning II Emerges

Perhaps the F-35’s premiere attribute is its low-observable stealth design. The platform was designed to be stealthy, and its size, shape, and weapons-carrying capabilities were produced accordingly.

To enhance the F-35’s stealth characteristics, the airframe does not feature external weapons, which would significantly increase the jet’s radar cross-section. While the fighter is in “stealth mode,” its smaller cross-section makes it harder for enemy aircraft to detect. However, since the fighter carries weapons internally while maintaining stealth, it can carry a limited amount. 

Supplementing the F-35’s low-observable stealth design are the fighter’s supersonic speed, flexible weapons capacity, extended range, and cutting-edge electronic warfare system, among other advances. 

The top-of-the-line Pratt & Whitney F135 engine powers the F-35, giving the platform the extended range it needs. At Mach 1.6, the fighter is also a long-range supersonic fighter, despite its internal weapons bay.

Overall, the F-35 can hold around 18,000 pounds of ordinance in that internal weapons bay. While in stealth mode, the fighter can carry around 5,700 pounds of ordinance, which correlates to either four AIM 120 AMRAAM missiles or two AMRAAM missiles with two GBU-31 JDAM bombs. 

Popular Mechanics outlined some of the superior electronic capabilities the F-35 possesses: 

“The cockpit of the F-35 forgoes the litany of gauges and screens found in previous generations of fighter in favor of large touchscreens and a helmet mounted display system that allows the pilot to see real time information. This helmet also allows the pilot to look directly through the aircraft, thanks to the F-35’s Distributed Aperture System (DAS) and suite of six infrared cameras mounted strategically around the aircraft.”

Introducing the F-35B “Bravo”

The Marine Corps variant of the F-35, “Bravo,” features short take off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities. STOVL allows the airframe to operate from short-field bases and a range of air-capable ships.

The Bravo variant can also take off and land conventionally from longer runways, typically at major Marine Corps bases. The Bravo has a shorter wingspan than the F-35 C “Charlie” variant, measuring 35 feet in length.

While all three F-35 variants are very similar in capabilities, the F-35B specifically fits the needs of the Marine Corps. Unlike the F-35C, the Charlie does not have the carrier-based CV/CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) feature that is designed for the Navy’s mission sets. 

Although these modifications differentiate the three branch’s’ F-35 variants, each platform can perform mission-specific tasks. Equipped with STOVOL, the F-35 Bravo serves the Marine Corps well. 

Maya Carlin is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.

All Images are Creative Commons.